One Year to Be Prepared: Month 6 Checklist

One Year to Be Prepared: Month 6 Checklist

Each month during 2023, the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians Emergency Management team will provide you a checklist for assembling emergency supplies and help you and your family think though various emergency scenarios. The monthly checklists will also prompt you to consider special circumstances, such as supplies for pets, elders, evacuation routes, and sanitation.

(For the complete list of One Year to be Prepared lists, click here)

Month Seven: Special Considerations

Kids and Teenagers

Kids and teens can be a huge help in preparing for emergencies, so it’s important to include them in your plans.

  • Find fun preparedness activities, books, and games for kids at www.ready.gov
  • Encourage your kids to get involved in learning emergency skills; look for areas of interest or classes, such as CPR, first aid, gardening, outdoor survival skills, etc.
  • Be sure to pack special items for your kids and teens when building your kits:
    • Comfort items (favorite toys, blankets, stuffed animals, etc.) for younger kids
    • Crafts, safe tools, books, or music for older kids

Varied Abilities

Anyone can experience an access or functional need at any time, which may be physical, mental, emotional, socioeconomic, cultural, or language-based.

Mobility Challenges

  • Store emergency supplies in a pack attached to a walker, wheelchair, etc.
  • If you cannot use stairs, keep instructions for lifting or carrying techniques that work for you in your supplies.

Medical Supplies

  • Keep a two-week supply of medications or medical supplies (bandages, solutions, syringes, etc.)
  • Find guidance on keeping temperature-controlled medication cool
  • Get backup power sources for electrically-powered medical equipment

Visual / Hearing Challenges

  • Store glasses / hearing aids in an easy-to-access location.
  • Keep backup glasses and light sources.

Mental Health

Disaster-induced stress is a NORMAL reaction to an abnormal situation. During most disasters, mental health workers are available to help survivors, response workers, and others affected by the disaster. If you need assistance, help may be available from the American Red Cross, ADAPT, the Tribal Behavioral Health program, and more.

Planning

  • Special considerations are things to think about outside of your own personal needs. Who in your plan may have specific needs that you must consider?

Train or Be Trained

  • Your physical health and fitness matter! You will be putting a high demand on your body and mind during an emergency.
  • Consider what you need to work on to be of most help to others.
  • What is the hardest for you: flexibility, strength, or stamina? Focus on developing yourself where it is needed.

Supplies – Gather or Purchase

  • Add the remaining pet supplies for your Pet Kit.
  • Add the remaining supplies for your Go Kit.
  • Add another three days’ worth of food and water to your supplies.
  • Add comfort food and your favorite snacks to your supplies.

Tsunami Preparedness

As the weather improves, many head to the coast to cool off and have fun. Just be safe! Oregon has a long history of earthquakes, and it is probable that another could strike any time within the next 50 years. You can and should go enjoy the coast, but taking some very simple precautions can dramatically increase your chances of getting through a tsunami if it should happen while you are there.

What is a Tsunami?

A tsunami is a massive tidal wave caused by an underwater earthquake off the coast.

  • The earth will shake for 3-5 minutes at a rate that will make standing difficult
  • The ocean will rapidly recede away from the beach
  • Depending on the epicenter of the quake, the tidal wave will come back in 10-20 minutes, devastating low-elevation areas for miles inland

Where is the High Ground?

The safest place to be in a tsunami is on high ground, where the tidal wave won’t reach. You can find it by:

Tsunami Preparations to Consider When Traveling to the Coast

  • Know where you are relative to the beach
  • Know where the actual high ground is, and how you are going to get there
  • Don’t panic. As soon as possible after a tsunami begins, start moving
  • Go on foot – do not attempt to drive
  • You will have 10-20 minutes to reach high ground after a tsunami begins. If you keep moving, you can get there
  • You cannot outrun the speed of the water. Time spent moving upward is your best bet
  • There will be aftershocks, so settle in and hold on. Do not return to low ground, as there may be smaller tsunamis that continue for several hours
  • Help will be several days away. When things have settled down, make your way to shelter
  • You will have to fend for yourself for a few days after a tsunami, so be prepared for it
  • Help others if you can; you will likely be the only help they get in the beginning
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One Year to Be Prepared: Month 7 ChecklistPublic Announcements